The Box Man: A Novel

Really, really difficult to rate The Box Man. Did I love it? No - well not in terms of it leaving you in a joyous state or astounded by the wondrous prose. But it is a remarkable piece - mesmerising, haunting and more than a little frightening. And I can't stop thinking about it (much though I've tried) - and any book that can have that impact deserves five stars - not for `I love it', but because it is extraordinary.The prose might not be wonderful (noting that Abe was clearly very capable as shown in The Woman in the Dunes) - but there is still much incredible writing. As example - the cold, analytical description of the naked nurse, as seen by the box man through a rear vision mirror held up to the hospital window, captures the contra-seductive and totally counter-erotic feel of this bizarre scene. The disjointed, Dadaist style leads you on a confusing, almost delirious journey between the box man, the fake box man, yet another maybe fake box man, the real doctor and the fake doctor. Was there a murder (or assisted suicide) or was it all just a dream? Just who is the narrator? I think the pieces fall into place, but who can be sure?Hard to imagine a box man life evolving in any other culture outside of Japan - and it is a tribute to Japanese literature that such a theme can be embraced as real/valid and a tribute to Kobo Abe for turning it into a masterpiece.This is a difficult piece of writing (and reading!) and I expect many will not enjoy it - but try looking beyond `enjoy' and I think you will find this read intriguing.

I'm not much of a book reader but even I could tell this one is quite abstract. You'll follow along the story until the situation is sidelined for a commentary on the versatility of plastic cutting boards, or is completely dropped for the perspective of who knows who. But I was still able to read it in just 3 sittings. It gripped me with it's jaring abruption. It delves into voyeurism, sexual shame, stolen identity and how to live as a true box man. You'll end this book dizzy, so enjoy the spin.

Sounds horrible to say, but, I'm "getting back into reading" this summer. Reading this book is akin to reading a schizophrenic's notebook; confusing, powerful, surreal, and overall enlightening. A challenging read, but a very fulfilling one!

The pages fell out and the book is completely falling apart. Rest of it was good though

Great Book.This is a book that is too surreal to just much about.The best I can compare it to is a journal written by an insane person.Not for everyone, but if surreal fiction is your thing. Then, go for it.

Beautifully presented and thoughtfully written character study. I loved this book. My only regret is I cannot read it in the original Japanese.

Loved this book! Very thought provoking and interesting writing style. Similar to Murakami. How many people live in the small world of a "box man"!

It is a masterpiece and the final book of Abe Kobo’s trilogy about male/female erotic-emotional relationship, the first two being The Woman in the Dunes and The Face of Another.Gabor Fabricius

I read that the book is one of the many sources that inspired the game creators. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

The book is in good condition though the quality of the paper is questionable. Can't say whether this is original or duped, since the font is a bit weird.

A fantastic book no the best book i have read but it incredibly good i highly recommend it

As advertised.

You must have had that feeling. The one where you just want to crawl into a book and escape; to abandon the disappointing knot of relationships that have tangled with your life and to disown your very skin; to enjoy the world, sure, but to be as detached from it as a man on the moon with a telescope.Of course, the more you succeed in this detachment the more confused you'll get about time... even about your identity.And you'll have to let at least SOME reality back in. Principally food... and sex... and cigarettes... and sex.Kobo Abe's narrator climbs into a box instead of a book. Time blurs, identity fractures: and since he's telling you about the box in the same book that you've crawled into, it all gets pretty messy.Abe is often compared to Kafka. But a remark like: "My failure is no cause for regret. Because I have not particularly gone on living for the conclusion", seems more like Robert Musil (no small achievement in itself). It is notable, though, that while sexual lust is only part of a larger philosophical problem in Kafka; it's a little more dominant with Musil - and in 'The Box Man' it turns out to be seminal.A vagrant in a box (ie someone who likes to hide himself) becomes infatuated with a woman who gets a power-kick from nude modeling (ie from exposing herself). That's cute. But Abe's concluding spiral into an analysis of voyeurism (while it offers an alarming insight into why women might like wearing the burka!) is both a contraction of the book's initial promise and unconvincing to boot.Lightly sprinkled with grainy photos, anomalous captions, discrete newspaper reports, and dishonest avowals of honesty, 'The Box Man' feels spoiled by what was (in 1973) a prevailing convention for experimentation. It's good but it's not 'The Woman in the Dunes'. Herman Melville would have made a much better job of it.